


By the Edge

by LuciaWilt



Series: By The Edge [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Amnesia, Disability, M/M, Medical Conditions, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2019-11-13 04:02:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18024287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciaWilt/pseuds/LuciaWilt
Summary: But could anyone blame Kisame? Itachi was an Uchiha after all. Kisame would say he is the epitome of the Uchiha blood; lethal, beautiful, loving and caring so hard it destroyed him in the end. When those big eyes landed on Kisame, he knew he was a goner; he knew that he would end up following this young man to the ends of the earth. Perhaps he did not know it right away, but it came to fruition just as he thought it would.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok I'm not going to put this as a multi chapter fic yet but i do have ideas for chapters later on. And if you are wondering about how Itachi survived, let us just say ninja uchiha magic nonsense. Either way I want him alive so here he is.

Looking back on everything, Kisame realized his feelings for Itachi the moment he watched the younger man walk away from him for what he thought was the last time. Each uncertain step Itachi took in the blindness, Kisame felt his heart squeeze tighter and tighter. How odd, the transformation of their feelings; or well, his feelings. He was not entirely sure what was behind that mask Itachi wore. It became clearer and clearer over the years, as Itachi started to trust Kisame more. However Kisame never saw that final last layer; what had been there the night of Itachi’s worst day. He thought he would never see it. 

“He is gone.” Zetsu had said. That weird creature (a good one coming from Kisame, he knew) apparated bringing the news like a wraith in the middle of the day. “Itachi Uchiha has perished.” The brat who got Zabuza’s sword looked more than pleased about Sasuke’s survival as he stood. Zetsu had turned to Kisame. 

“If Itachi isn’t around anymore I think I’ll spread my wings and see where fate takes me.” 

How foolish he had been even then. Spread his wings and see where fate takes him? Unlikely. That was not something Kisame would do, not when Itachi’s body was resting somewhere in the rubble. His heart was twisting harder and harder as Itachi’s brat’s friends rushed off. 

That gave Kisame the opening he needed. He had always said he hated liars, hated lies. Only now that Itachi was gone did he realize he had been lying all this time and he never knew. Kisame had been lying to himself and to Itachi. No more. No more of that. 

The distance to the battle site was shorter than he remembered. Perhaps it was because of what was waiting for him. Deathly silence; only the sound of Amaterasu’s flames flickering around the area could be heard. 

Before Kisame even spotted him, he caught a breeze of that distinct smell that had been wrapped around Itachi for just about a decade; now encased in death as well. It was sickness, it was darkness; but it was also a gentle rest. Kisame finally landed on the still intact slab that had been the finale area of the fight. 

Gods above, Itachi had changed him more than he realized. Kisame would happily lie to anyone asked if they wondered about the sting in the back of his eyes and the knot that grew in his throat when laying eyes on Itachi’s immobile corpse. 

It had been obvious that Itachi was sick, especially the different stages Kisame saw him in. Kisame had witnessed Itachi’s decline in health from beginning to end; watched as Itachi lost pound after pound and how he had to hold onto walls and trees more often than not to walk. He had watched as Itachi spewed up cups of blood; nearly coughing up lungs right along with it. 

Now it was so apparent.

His pale skin was nearing blue; batter, bruised, and bloody from his fight with Sasuke. There were large chunks of Itachi’s flesh that had been burned and singed, a tell tale sign of fighting an Uchiha with an affinity for lightening on top of fire. Itachi’s hair was wild beneath him as Kisame stepped forwards.

Crouching and then lifting Itachi into his arms just made Kisame’s heart twist harder. It was as though he lifted a child, not an adult male in his twenties. “Oh Itachi.” Kisame whispered into the wind. The body in his arms did not stir, even though Kisame could sense the barest hint of chakra still hovering in Itachi’s body like an unsure animal. 

Kisame was unsure as to why he did what he did next. A token of his gratitude for giving him meaning? Maybe. Maybe. Either way, he allowed the entire ruined building to flood just enough. There were no summons, no traps; just a shallow watery grave that glowed a brilliant blue. Itachi’s body floated at Kisame’s feet, the band in his hair now long gone and the inky black locks floating around him to make a crown. He was barely submerged, just enough to where he still floated on his back, his face out in the air. Kisame knelt again; the water now half way up his thighs in this position. 

With care that many would not expect from him, Kisame gently wiped the blood and grime from Itachi’s face then stood once again. “It seems as though you are changing my life even in death.” He said before taking a step back. He knew what direction was Konoha so he sat cross legged, facing that direction with his sword at his back; Itachi still floating in the glowing grave behind him.

Abandoning the Akatsuki…hmmm. Kisame never truly thought he would do that. But as he had thought earlier, Itachi had been changing him since the moment they met. 

But could anyone blame Kisame? Itachi was an Uchiha after all. Kisame would say he is the epitome of the Uchiha blood; lethal, beautiful, loving and caring so hard it destroyed him in the end. When those big eyes landed on Kisame, he knew he was a goner; he knew that he would end up following this young man to the ends of the earth. Perhaps he did not know it right away, but it came to fruition just as he thought it would. 

So Kisame took up vigil like a dragon hoarding it’s gold. Day in and day out, he sat by Itachi’s body, guarding him to give him the rest he so long worked for. Itachi never should have been a ninja. Yes he was talented, the best out there; but Kisame could still remember the look on his face when he had to take a life. It may have been subtle to others, borderline unreadable, but Kisame knew the truth. Every soul Itachi added to his list, the more his heart broke. 

It could not have even been half a year before they arrived; though Kisame had been expecting them to show up. It was the chakra he sensed first, so much like Itachi’s yet not quiet the same. There was the nine tails kid, fiery and explosive right alongside of Itachi’s brat. There were some others; Kisame recognized Kakashi Hatake’s among them. 

“I’m sorry Itachi.” Kisame found himself standing in the shin deep water, feeling it dishonorable to walk above Itachi in his death. “I do not think I can go easy on your boy as much as you would want me to; just knowing you died by his hand.” Kisame pauses, laughing off the tightness in his chest. “This may be where I die, where I finally join you. For now, rest; I will keep you safe and peaceful.” He finished before turning and jumping back in the direction they were coming from. 

Finally they were here and Kisame was ready to die protecting Itachi’s rest. 

~’~

“I should have come back sooner.” Sasuke said, his stomach twisting in agony. Of course it would have taken him ages to heal after the final fight. Thankfully he got away without losing any limbs; but the internal injuries were severe. It took him over a month to go through rehab and be back on his feet. Of course Sakura had threatened him more than once to tie him to the bed; threatened both him and Naruto actually, though Naruto wanted to get up for vastly different reasons to Sasuke. 

“You could not have known how long the healing process would have taken.” He heard Kakashi from somewhere behind him. Even though it was Sasuke that just got out of physical therapy, Kakashi was the one trailing behind him and Naruto. Though that could have been because he was nervous as to what they would find. Tenzo trotted along beside Kakashi and Sakura was between the two groups of two. It was just a simple body retrieval mission, yes, however as Kakashi was surely speculating there were too many variables in play. Anything could be waiting in the rubble for them. 

“Sasuke stop!” Kakashi’s voice cut through the fog in his mind, and it seemed as though he, Sakura, and Tenzo had been right to worry. They were about a mile out but even a remotely competent ninja could sense the chakra from there. Itachi’s body was not alone; and Sasuke knew exactly who was with him. He felt his eyes flare to life, the tomoe sharpening and his entire body burning with fury. What was that monster doing? What business did he have with Itachi’s body? 

“We should make a plan of approach. We don’t know if he will fight but we can’t just run in.” Sasuke did not hear the rest of what Tenzo said. He was not going to waste another second away from Itachi, even if that meant taking his body to be burned. 

“Sasuke! Naruto wait!” The shouts followed after the two of them as they rushed forwards, bursting through the tree line and landing in front of Kisame Hoshigaki who stood above them in the wreckage. Now the image of the site had Sasuke nauseous, almost enough to have him bent in two. Itachi had done what he had to do, but that did not diminish the fact it had Sasuke reeling when he found out the truth. 

And this, he had done this to his brother. He had hurt him like this; torn his heart in two then destroyed his body. Sasuke was riddled with guilt, a guilt he would hold within him for the rest of his life. At this point, the least he could do was give Itachi the proper sending off. 

Kisame was silent before the two of them, the three others arriving seconds later. Sasuke found that rather odd considering how talkative the older male had been in the past. There was a contemplative look on the mist-nins face, the giant sword resting heavy on his back. “Step aside.” Sasuke decide to move first, stepping forwards. Kisame was frozen and Sasuke almost wondered if the man had died in that position. But he knew better. His eyes told him a different story; the chakra still heavily pacing through the male’s body as well as the pool of water behind him. Itachi’s signature was feint but Sasuke was expecting that. When a ninja dies, a miniscule amount of chakra does not leave the body. 

“I don’t think I am going to. Itachi has earned this rest. I won’t have anyone interrupting it.” 

They were all stunned speechless. That had been the last thing they thought the man in front of them would have said. Sasuke had been expecting relation on behalf of the Akatsuki; Itachi had not really been with the organization all that time anyways. 

He did not think Kisame would have been playing cemetery gargoyle for his older brother. What was their relationship? Who was Itachi to Kisame and who was Kisame to Itachi? 

Sasuke’s patience had already run thin. He jumped forwards, moving to get past Kisame; but was stopped before he even knew what was happening. Kisame’s now bare arm had wrapped around Sasuke’s neck so fast it had the younger males feet flying out from underneath him. There was commotion behind him, presumably Sakura and Tenzo heading to get Itachi’s body while Naruto and Kakashi went to help Sasuke. 

The move Kisame did on him sent the breath right out of Sasuke, putting him out of commission for a moment while Naruto and Kakashi engaged. It was pretty obvious that Kakashi was pissed Sasuke ran in. Well someone Kakashi loved was not on the line. 

It was… strange to say the least. Kisame was acting odd, not the same as he had the previous times they all came across his path. All the times before, Kisame had been rambunctious; loud and excited in his fighting style. He had never quite cared about what happened as he swung that wild sword about. However now there was a… there was almost a melancholy air about him. His moves were all the same, but he did not swing that sword with the same enthusiasm as before. The expression on his face was placid and down trodden but he did not give up on the fight with Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke. Though, nor did he allow his guard drop for Sakura and Tenzo to get close enough. 

It took longer than Sasuke wanted to get Sakura and Tenzo an opening. As fast as they could, they dropped down in the water beside Itachi’s body. Sakura went to grab him but stopped; a movement in Itachi’s body having her freezing. 

It was a violent but familiar cough that had everyone else stopping as well. They all turned just in time to see blood spray everywhere from Itachi’s mouth. 

Kisame’s shout of ‘Itachi!’ and Sasuke’s shout of ‘Brother!’ overlapped as they rushed to Itachi’s side. 

It wasn’t possible. It could not be happening. It was all Sasuke dreamed of, to have Itachi with him again; but he had died in his fight with Sasuke. Now blood was spewing from Itachi’s mouth and everyone rushed over to his side. It was obvious that Kisame wanted to grab Itachi and run, only having Sasuke’s jealousy rising, but Sakura was the only medical ninja with them. 

“He’s alive.” Tenzo was breathless as he observed. Sasuke’s pessimistic self could not help but allow his Sharingan to activate to check for himself. Against all the odds, Tenzo was right. 

Sasuke had no idea what to do with that; he was stunned motionless as Sakura and Tenzo fretted over Itachi. Later, when Sasuke could think straight, he would come to realize how much these people did for him. For all they knew, and for what they had known for years, Itachi was a mass murderer. He killed Sasuke’s entire family “out of cold blood” and was likely to do it again. Yet they still helped Itachi for Sasuke. 

“Damn it he is seizing.” Sakura’s shout had Sasuke breaking out of his thoughts. Naruto and Kakashi were behind all of them while Kisame and Sasuke crouched down on either side of Itachi’s body. It was terrifying to see. Itachi’s entire body was jerking so hard he went in and out of the chakra infused water even with Sakura and Tenzo using their own chakra to keep him “afloat”. 

Sasuke watched, horrified. Was he just getting his brother back, only to lose him seconds later? Sakura’s arms were now covered in blood as she tried to steady Itachi’s body. “He is hemorrhaging, Tenzo, check his eyes.” The previous Anbu did just that, pushing Itachi’s eyelids back and Sasuke was in a nightmare. Itachi’s eyes had rolled back as blood continued to pour from his mouth. Sakura moved Itachi onto his side. “This way he will not choke on his own blood.” She explained each thing she did; from how she attempted to stabilize his body to searching for the hemorrhaging point in his chest. It was strangely peaceful to Sasuke, perhaps the steady drum of her voice keeping him from thinking about how much danger Itachi actually was in if he was truly alive; it still felt like a dream just thinking about it. 

“I need to get him back to the hospital. I need more help with this.” She said, voice now slightly more frantic then it had been. Sasuke did not want to think about what that meant. Sakura was the second best medical ninja in the world; Tsunade back in the village only just surpassing her. If Sakura could not handle this on her own then… 

Thankfully Kakashi was quick to jump in. With his eyes, with Kamui, they would be able to get back in record time and perhaps even be able to save Itachi from a fate that was surely more likely than not; though Sasuke desperately tried to not think about that. With a blink of an eye, Kakashi, Tenzo, Sakura, and Itachi were gone; leaving Sasuke, Naruto, and Kisame still standing there. It was only when the others were gone did Sasuke collapse to his knees in the water. Everything was finally hitting him; the energy he had just expended, the sight of Itachi in the water, the fact he was still alive. 

“Sasuke!” Naruto gasped, crouching beside Sasuke; but it was Kisame’s movements that caused Sasuke to look up. 

“Where do you think you are going?” Sasuke demanded which only had Kisame stopping for a brief moment. His broad back was to them, his sword down at his side. For the smallest second, Sasuke saw an expression on the older man’s face that was more telling than words ever could be. 

Kisame loved Itachi. 

“The Leaf village has hurt him enough. Just because the appearance of an olive branch is being handed over int his moment does not mean I trust them to treat Itachi with the respect and care that is required for someone like Itachi. I’m going to the Leaf village to make sure he is not harmed further.” And with that, Kisame was gone, leaving Sasuke and Naruto stunned in his wake. They had to shake themselves out of their stupor to get up and move; to follow Kisame back to the village and back to Itachi. 

They had to get up and move, to get to Itachi who was barely hanging on. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the reason Kisame knows a lot of the names of the leaf village ninja is Obito giving out names very late in the game and Itachi spoke briefly about some of them in the past. But like, I'm such a dumbass because I have a degree in sociology and I'm over here like "Let's write a fic where I have to know very specific medical terminology!"
> 
> also a Tsunade Kisame friendship? super awesome drinking buddies!

Tsunade had not been expecting much that day. That’s why she had headed to the hospital; more to just check up on how things were going than anything else. It was a simple task, something she had done hundreds of times before and would hopefully do a hundred times again. The procedure of medicine helped her relax and the warm weather was good for the patients. Nothing out of the ordinary.

And then everything slammed to a halt. 

Kakashi, Sakura, and Tenzo all appeared, covered in blood with a body still seizing in Sakura’s grasp. Tsunade, having been taught in traumatic and severe injuries jumped right into action; her training taking over her body more than anything else. 

She rushed forwards and directed the three of them with the patient to the closest open operating room.

Everything was such a haze in these situations, perhaps that’s why she did not notice who was on the table until coming up beside Sakura. Itachi Uchiha’s broken, bloodied, bruised, and burned body stared up at her. He was seizing still so that was the first problem. With the amount of blood still coming from his mouth, she knew they would have to open up his chest cavity to examine it more closely. Yes a medical ninja with the minimum amount of training could heal an internal chest wound without opening a patient up. However when an injury was serious enough, it was prudent to take a closer look. 

So much for her nice and peaceful day. She did not see the other forms appear outside the room, able to see in from the glass window that sat in the wall. Not that it would matter. Shizune and Sakura aided her as they carefully cut open Itachi’s chest after finally getting his seizing under control. By that time they had also put him under with anesthesia; thankfully they had his previous files still in the system so they knew he was not allergic to the medicine they needed to give him. 

With the chest cavity open came new problems. Honestly, any other lower ranked ninja or civilian would be long dead by this point. She was quite surprised that he had not passed.

Already she could see multiple organs had failed and some had ruptured. His lungs were near ashen like he had been sucking in smoke for years. On top of that, not only were multiple ribs broken, but there was evidence he had experienced multiple cases of cardiac arrest in the last decade. As they worked on getting him in a stable condition, she moved her hand up towards his head. There had been reports from both Sasuke and others that had interacted with Itachi prior to his “death” that there had been problems with his eyesight. She opened his eyelids as gently as she could and saw exactly what they had been speaking of. Instead of the dark, near black color most Uchiha’s eyes were in the “normal” state, Itachi’s were milky white; grey. 

Shizune and Sakura were finally getting him into a stable condition when she moved her glowing hand further up, hovering over his skull. If he had been so severely injured and ill in the rest of his body, it would be best to check for any sort of skull fractures or deuteriation in the brain matter. 

~’~

Kisame arrived before Sasuke and Naruto both even reached the outer limits of the village. Unsurprisingly, ANBU were hot on his tail as he rushed through the village. Though it was probably quite strange that he did not even give a second glance to any of the civilians or the other ninja. At this point he had discarded the very identifiable cloak just so it would not cause a panic as he wanted to get to Itachi as soon as he could. Even when he got into the hospital, he knew the ANBU were following slowly after him, unsure if they should engage since Kisame had not made a move to harm the village. They were more than likely watching as Kisame sensed his way through the hospital until he found the operation ward, rushing down the hallway and coming to a dead stop in front of a window looking into the room. 

Hatake appeared not long after Kisame took up his position beside the window like he had back in the rumble. They did not say a single word to one another, even when Sasuke came sprinting down the hallway and screeching to a stop. He was frantic, close to crying. 

How odd, Kisame thought to himself as he gave Sasuke a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. Oh, it seemed as though Sasuke had learned the truth of Itachi’s past. That had to be the explanation. It seemed so clear if Kisame thought about it like that. No matter. If Sasuke was so busy crying then he would not attempt to harm Itachi further. Kisame would allow Sasuke’s presence for the time being. 

Kisame knew his own presence in the village was alarming. At this point, Hatake physically lifted a hand as the ANBU came out from the shadows. Hm, it seemed as though the copy ninja had become Hokage while Kisame had been keeping vigil. That fit, considering how powerful he was. With the signal, the ANBU slinked back and allowed the four of them to watch. 

There was so much blood. It made his Itachi look so frail, so small. Though of course Itachi probably weighed less than his younger brother at this point; what with the injuries sustained during the fight, how he had been kept in stasis during his year long rest, and the illness that had been eating away at him during his life. 

The three medical ninja worked and worked and worked; long enough for Sasuke to find the floor on the other side of the hallway, Naruto hovering beside him. Kisame had stepped back from the window, knowing full well he would give Itachi the privacy in this moment he deserved.

Itachi. 

Itachi who was alive, clinging to life. 

Kisame wondered how it was possible. He had not felt even the slightest bit of consciousness during the period he had been watching over him. Was it the chakra infused water Itachi had been kept in? Stranger things have happened. 

Not until far into the night did who Kisame assumed was Tsunade walk out of the operating room. The thin dark-haired woman walking along side Sakura was drenched in blood; well all three of the were. They were exhausted, that much was clear. Though Kisame still sensed Itachi which meant they were successful for the time being. 

Tsunade gave Kisame a wary look before turning towards the younger Uchiha. It seemed as though since the war ended, Sasuke was on relatively good terms with the village once again. Itachi would be pleased when he woke up. 

And he would wake up. How strange. Kisame had come to accept he would die guarding Itachi’s corpse. Now he had hope; a fluttering feeling in his stomach. He thought he would love the dead man for the rest of his days, one sided and never reciprocated. Now there was a future on the horizon, something he could fight for; he would do anything for the frail younger male resting in the hospital room behind Tsunade. 

“We have gotten him into a stable condition.” Tsunade started before her lips sealed rather quickly. Once again she was eyeing Kisame by the window and her intentions were clear. This was information for privileged people only; and she did not consider Kisame privileged. Though he could not blame her. If he were in her position, he would probably be thinking the same thing. Kisame was not here for a fight though; not unless the Leaf village ninja forced one on him by doing something to Itachi. So he simply sighed, turning to leave the area. He would not leave the village until he knew Itachi was safe. 

“Stay.” Kisame paused in his retreat. “You can stay.” It was a blessing, a go ahead. Kisame looked over his shoulder and saw how Sasuke’s eyes were closed as his head was tilted back towards the ceiling where he was seated on the ground. Naruto was beside him now and Kisame slowly walked back towards the spot he had taken by the window looking over the hospital grounds. That was enough for Tsunade to start. 

“As I said, we were able to get him into a stable condition.” Kisame watched Sasuke during the entire process and he realized a few things. This was penitence. He was guilty, shamed; anyone could tell how he was reacting from how his body turned in on itself. He felt shame from killing his older brother, something of a guardian angel. If Itachi had not been there, Sasuke would have been dead years ago. 

And then Tsunade went in, listing all the things that she had found. It was merciless as she went down the list. “There were multiple internal organ failures, some had ruptured; I would assume that occurred during your fight with him.” Kisame was surprised Sasuke didn’t just disappear from how tightly he had curled in on himself. “There are two things that concern me the most right now and his lungs are one of them. The illness that had been killing him before his…”death”… had been eating away at them. It will be years before they return to normal; he probably will not breathe well again for another ten years at the least.”

Kisame was not terribly surprised by that diagnosis. Having seen Itachi’s descent into the severity of his illness, a decade was probably a generous assumption. He would put it closer to fifteen. She continued the assault. “That of course will be through medical treatments and physical therapy, the healing of his lungs. Itachi had multiple broken ribs, once again I assume that occurred during your fight with him. I am also extremely worried that there was evidence that he also experiences multiple cases of cardiac arrest in the past few years.” She turned towards Kisame, knowing full well he had been with Itachi the most in the past decade. Kisame understood the look and nodded, indicating she was right in that diagnosis as well. Her title of the best medical ninja in the world was not for nothing. 

“Men his age having that many heart attacks is concerning to say the least. That is something else he will need to be monitored for daily while he is in the hospital. That will decrease to every other day once he is discharged and then weekly after a few months. They will continue weekly until I either find a cause or they disappear.” Kisame felt a twinge of something in his chest. Was it amazement? He had never met Tsunade before but had heard the stories. This was one of the very few ninjas directly tied to a village system he could perhaps tolerate, knowing she would put that much effort to save his Itachi. 

“Of course there were the burns to his skin which will heal; there should be no scars. Now there are two things that I cannot be entirely sure about until he awakes.” Sasuke was visbly crying at this point. They were silent tears as he kept his eyes closed but Tsunade was not letting up. Kisame would have to get this woman a drink; he was still vehemently against letting Sasuke Uchiha anywhere near Itachi. The last time they were together, Sasuke had killed Itachi after all. Though Kisame knew he would never do such a thing to Itachi, that is keeping Sasuke away from him. He would never tie Itachi down like that; would never be so selfish, even though he so desperately wanted to. Itachi’s soft heart would just not take being with someone so obsessive and possessive. 

“Continue.” Sasuke’s voice was curt for a moment, silence following after, then he opened his mouth again. This time his voice was light. “Please.” 

“During the early stages of the surgery, I checked his eyes. If the small bits you have shared with us before about the Sharingan are correct, Itachi’s eyesight is completely gone. Both his eyes were a very pale grey color.” 

Kisame felt a punch to his gut; emotionally, not physically. Yes he knew that Itachi’s eyesight was failing, had known that for nearly the entire time he had known Itachi. But for the younger male to wake up after his death to a blank world, how cruel…how horribly cruel. Sasuke seemed to agree with Kisame’s thoughts, his faced twisted in what only could be described as agony. 

“Of course I cannot say for certain until he wakes up and we run more tests, but that is my initial diagnosis.” Tsunade sighed, sitting down in front of Sasuke in a resting position. With her legs crossed, she ran a hand through her hair; some of Itachi’s blood still splattered against her cheek. Sasuke was tense, blood shot tear stained eyes trained on her form. The rest of them, Kisame included, held their breath. 

“Can you recall at any point during your fight with him that he hit his head? Were there any periods where his head made a rapid movement either forwards and backwards or side to side?” Her voice was quiet now and Kisame already knew the answer; he could answer for Sasuke. Of course. That was a seemingly foolish question on the surface, but Tsunade was clearly smarter than that. She knew what Sasuke had been doing to himself during the entire time he heard the problems listed. Kisame found that strangely merciful, that she would continue to dig that knife of shame and guilt into Sasuke’s gut for him. Now Kisame made it his mission to get this woman a drink. 

Sasuke took a deep breath before he answered, “Yes.” He said, voice shaking. “Multiple times. Right at the end he fell forwards and hit his head on the wall behind me. I assumed he was,” Sasuke’s voice broke and Naruto placed a comforting hand between the youngest Uchiha’s shoulder blades. “I assumed he was already dead at that point.” 

Tsunade took another deep breath before she continued. Now Kisame was curious. “While checking Itachi’s eyesight, I went over his skull as well. I found, let us say, concerning brain wave activity. I looked closer and there were scattered lesions in white matter tracts as well as gray matter in a widespread area.” 

“What does that mean?” Sasuke asked, voice small like a child’s; though Kisame could already see where this was going. He was not the most intelligent person out there, but he had heard enough medical mumbo jumbo from the doctor visits with Itachi to have an idea of what was happening. 

“Those symptoms are often indicative of a diffuse axonal injury. It is a type of Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI.” She paused and then threw down the edge of the blade. “I do not know for sure and will not know until he wakes up, but I believe that Itachi will be experiencing retrograde amnesia. He has lost memories from his past and I have no idea how extensive that loss is."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so the reason why Itachi seems to just accept he is still alive so quickly is because he would rather be alive himself then have sasuke dead along with him!

Months upon months upon months. It had been the longest time Kisame spent within the walls of a village since his youth. Of course Kisame would like to not be within the hidden leaf village, but he knew there was no way he would just leave Itachi there alone. And yes, while Sasuke seemed to have changes his views on his older brother; Kisame just could not do it.

Then again, he spent the entire time on the outskirts when not in the hospital at Itachi’s bedside. The people within the village would scorn and jeer, not that Kisame cared about that. He just did not have the energy for such things at the moment. All he could think about, all he could do, was stay beside Itachi. He yearned to see those eyes open once again, no matter what state they were in. 

It still felt like Itachi was in that eternal slumber Kisame watched over him in; they were simply now just in a different location with so many people around. Itachi was alive though, even in his rest. Kisame could feel the tiny and weak little pulse in Itachi’s wrist as he held his hand day in and day out. It was so feint, but it was there. 

Kisame was not alone this time, however, in his eternal vigil. Sasuke was in and out, there every day just like Kisame. Naruto would flutter along as well; no killing intent coming from him when he waved and smiled at Kisame. Sakura was a pretty permanent fixture since she did work at the hospital and he could not find it in him to hate her. She was keeping Itachi alive so he would be eternally grateful, even if he disliked the village as a whole. 

Something a little less surprising was Kakashi Hatake’s constant presence within the hospital. He had said in brief passing he was visiting Gai; that man that had been able to keep up with Kisame. When things blew over, Kisame would have to visit him. But Kisame also knew that was not the only reason Kakashi would poke his relaxed head into the room. 

Kakashi was the current Hokage. While Tsunade would still help him with work, he was the one that was tasked with protecting this village. Kisame was not entirely sure why he allowed two world known S-class criminals to just live within the village but he would not question it too far. After all, it allowed Kisame to watch over Itachi. Perhaps the silver haired male realized Kisame had no qualms with the village unless something happened to his little crow who was still healing. 

That day, Naruto was the one who arrived before Sasuke. Again with that bright smile, he waved at Kisame before taking the seat closest to the window. “How are you doing?” He asked. Kisame was used to it at this point; and while he would not change his opinion on the village, Naruto was strangely starting to grow on him. 

His hand did not leave Itachi’s as he chuckled under his breath and sat up. “I would say the exact same as the last ten times you asked.” Good. Not terrible; Itachi was alive and beside him so it could definitely be worse. 

Kind of like those months he spent watching over Itachi’s cold corpse.

Kisame actually had some things he needed to do, his eyes drifting from Itachi to Naruto. It was not as though they were vitally important; but they involved Tsunade and Kisame could sense that she was nearby. 

He did not trust Naruto, not by a long shot; but it was more than anyone else outside of the medical staff that knew of Itachi’s existence within the village. So he stood, catching Naruto’s attention. There was no need to carry his sword so he rested it leaning against the all beside Itachi’s bed. Plus it would keep the currently comatose man safe if absolutely everything else failed in an emergency. “I need to do something.” He started and Naruto seemed to get what he was asking without verbalizing it. So he nodded before headlining out of the room. 

It did not take long at all for Kisame to find Tsunade. She was seated in a quiet tea-house; very few patrons outside of herself. Bonus, Kisame thought to himself as he slid into the chair across from her that was actually tucked into the back corner of the tea-house right beside a window. “Why hello Lady Tsunade.” Kisame tried to cover the anxisousness in his voice but doubted he was very successful. How odd, it was not as though he were about to fight this woman. It was not a mission and the Akatsuki were gone. He was still a criminal but Konoha was being quite lenient for the time being. 

The woman did not jump. She did not twitch or yelp, she simply finished the sip of tea she was taking before placing the cup back down. There was silence that enveloped the two of them, just a nod on her end, and he knew she was waiting for him to continue to speak. 

And then he suddenly lost his voice. He stared at her as she stared back at him with a knowing smile. 

He knew he would like her. 

“I can’t tell you how many tea houses I have been in the last ten years.” He started when she finally looked away, taking another sip of her drink. How strange, he could not quite quantify what was going on with him, even if that had never been his forte. She made a humming noise in the back of her throat as though telling him to continue. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one ANBU member and knew that was the only one. Kakashi was coming to understand more and more Kisame’s new and strange role within the village. As long as they did not provoke him, he would not attack a single soul. 

“Itachi he…” That got her attention. Gently she set her cup down, looking over at him. “He adores tea. Quite the sweet tooth for an Uchiha apparently. He never showed it openly but he was always so happy when we stopped into one; just so he could try out a new flavor he may not have had before or taking a sip of a new tea.” Kisame stopped, staring down at his hands. Where in the world was he going with this? Why was this woman making him spill his guts like this? Was it because so much had changed in the past year? That had to be it. Finally he looked up, the feared Kisame Hoshigaki of the Mist building up enough courage to finish the conversation he had been having with Lady Tsunade. There was a strange, albeit soft expression on her face as she stared back at him. 

Knowing. 

It was a knowing look. 

“I just wanted to thank you. For all that you are doing. I may not deserve such treatment but Itachi deserves the rest, he deserves the peace he has fought so hard for.” Kisame finished, speaking relatively about the massacre with the assumption she knew what had happened. The nod she gave him told him he was correct. Kisame was about to continue but he paused when he felt a fast approaching chakra signature. He could not place it, but it seemed as though Tsunade could as she turned towards the window. 

Shizune. That was the woman’s name; and being Itachi’s second doctor, Kisame probably should remember it. She appeared int the windows opening, slightly out of breath but not appearing to be concerned about an approaching enemy. 

“Yes Shizune?” Tsunade asked, just as nonplussed about the entire thing. 

“Itachi. He is awake.” Kisame never moved so fast in his entire life. 

~’~

The first thing that Itachi notices when he awakes in the afterlife is that everything is hazy. It is not pitch black, but nothing is clear; quite like how his eyesight was right before he died. There is shifting lights and colors; a fog heavy over everything. 

The second thing he notices is that it is eerily like the living world. It feels, smells, and seems like a hospital; especially with the tubes up his nose that he can feel but not see. It made his nose twitch. 

Odd, he thought to himself. He was not expecting Hell to feel so much like his previous life; nor was he expecting it to be like medical care. That was not what he thought he deserved but if that was what he got then that’s what he would have to deal with. There were not complainers in Hell; nor did he deserve to complain. 

Yet things just continued to fall in and out of place. That smell that was drifting through what he assumed was a window…it was too familiar. Something was wrong…And even with his eye sight gone, he suddenly started to feel shifting energies. 

Energies that felt exactly like chakra signatures. 

No. It was not possible. 

Yet a signature that was far too familiar walked in, and he could not place the name on the person. It was a she, he could remember that much; even though it felt like his head was filled with the same fog covering his eyes. A greyish pink blob came into view. 

“You are… You are awake.” She said and his brain was searing hot as he tried to recall who that was. It was on the tip of his tongue. 

“I,” He started and flinched at the sound of his own voice. It was like his throat had been dragged through dust and gravel. “I… are you dead as well?” He still would not, could not, believe that he was still alive. It was just too impossible. The woman paused as a greenish glow hit his eyes. He could just make out the blob moving at the top; presumably looking at something. 

He could not speak again; two chakra signatures he was more than familiar with flew into the room. No. No no no! He would not believe it. He would rather be alive than to have him here as well. 

“Brother? Brother are you awake?” Sasuke’s voice sounded so hesitant beside wherever Itachi was. 

And before he could stop it, he felt tears slipping from his eyes. “Itachi, are you hurting anywhere?” The woman…Sakura he thinks, asked, obviously disturbed by his tears. But he just shook his head. How was it possible? 

Sasuke’s hand rested on Itachi’s cheek and behind him, Itachi could see Naruto hovering. “I’m… I’m alive.” Itachi’s voice was nothing but a whisper but Sasuke’s blob nodded. “But…but how? I should be dead.” That same pain he felt earlier when Sakura first came in slammed back into his head hard enough to rocket his torso off the hospital bed. That put all of them into action; their voices over lapping as he gasped for air and grabbed at his head. Sakura was gone, leaving Naruto and Sasuke in the room alone with him. “What is going on?” He wheezed. “Why am I still alive? What happened?” In his minds eye he could see living in the village so well, walking Sasuke around. There was Shisui and the others; then it all went black before bursting into color again. This time he was gone, moving through one village after the other.

“Itachi you…” Naruto said this time and Sasuke tightened his hold on Itachi, pushing him down onto the bed again and Itachi went like a piece of paper in the wind. There was another commotion and another chakra signature he knew perhaps better than his own as on the other side of the bed. 

“Kisame?” Itachi asked; the older mans form more of a dark grey blob then the blue he could recall. Kisame moved and sat down on the side of the bed which had Sasuke tensing. How odd. Were they not friends? That’s all that Itachi could recall; being with Sasuke then suddenly he was with Kisame. 

“I’m here Itachi.” Kisame took Itachi’s free hand with more freedom than Itachi could recall ever occurring between the two of them. Not that Itachi was complaining, he was just a little surprised. Then the other chakra signature moved closer to him. 

“Hello Itachi. I am Tsunade, do you remember who I am?” Tsunade. Tsunade. There was something familiar about that name. Oh yes, she had been in the village for a little while during his youth; when he was very VERY young. He slowly nodded and that seemed to please the woman. Yes that would make sense. If he was in a hospital for she was a medical ninja. “And it seems as though you remember Kisame.” 

“Yes we… we worked together?” He finished his sentence in a question mark since he was not entirely sure, but he saw the blob nod once again. 

There was a brief moment of silence. “And Naruto and… Sasuke?” Tsunade herself sounded unsure this time around. 

Itachi’s head turned, that same searing pain coming back but with Sasuke near cacooning himself around Itachi’s form, it did not hurt quite as much. He was able to tuck his face into the crook of Sasuke’s neck and that felt oddly right; cuddling with his, “This is my younger brother.” His hand was still too weak to hold onto anything but he was alive. “And Naruto is…Naruto is his teammate.” 

An image of Naruto’s form, blazing like fire in the middle of the day, came back to Itachi. 

“He said he would protect Sasuke.” 

“I said that during the war! He remembers that.” Remembers that? The war? Itachi could think he recalled a war at some point in his life. There was one when he was very young and… and he thinks there must have been one when he was older; one he participated in at some point. Perhaps that’s why he was in the hospital and he was not dead. But…when he awoke it felt like he should have passed already. 

“Yes that is very good. Itachi, would you perhaps be able to tell us the last thing you do remember?” It was like the entire room held its breath and that just made him even more confused than he already was. Never the less he wracked his brain through the pain, catching onto a tendril that seemed to be right. 

“I was fighting…I was fighting Sasuke.” He said, leaning closer to his little brother. Sasuke felt so big; so secure. “But I didn’t want to hurt him. I never want to hurt him.” Itachi did not catch the silent sob that broke out of Sasuke’s lips. “I… why were we fighting…” Slowly he trailed off since it was not exactly a question for anyone in particular. He just felt so dizzy. “Everything hurts. Everything is so fuzzy.” Itachi finally said; seemingly getting the point across since the room’s energy shifted. 

“That is understandable. I think it is best if I run some tests since you just awoke. If you all would give us the room and some privacy.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the background relationship is Kakagai. Also, if you are a writer having a block, GET OFF TWITTER. I just got off twitter this weekend and I updated this fic and I finished another one I had been sitting on for over half a year.

It was not as though Gai was all that surprised to find Kakashi showing up in his room. So much had happened since the end of the war. Perhaps not as quickly, but it happened none the less. And with Gai out of commission for the indefinite future, Kakashi was pretty much his only life line to the outside world. Well, Kakashi and Lee. 

Perhaps Gai did not know what he had been expecting after hearing Itachi Uchiha was still alive. Kakashi had told him of course, but he had actually heard a whisper of it from Shizune who had been speaking with Sakura. Gai could only assume a very select few knew of the Uchiha’s survival; since it was more of a matter of a national security than most things. It had been years since he last came face to face with Itachi; and years before that before their previous encounter. The young Uchiha had always been flighty, enigmatic. He rarely spoke around people he was not entirely comfortable around; so he would use that strangely deep voice to ask questions to Kakashi but went stalk still and silent when Gai came bounding over. 

Gai could still remember those dark eyes the last time they interacted and Kakashi had been nearly felled by Itachi’s Sharingan prowess. Svelte even underneath that heavy coat, Uchiha beauty more striking then most had been in the clan, voice deep but breathy and quiet; Itachi had known in a physical battle he would have lost to Gai a thousand times over. The Uchiha had never been a taijutsu user after all. Though Kisame Hoshigaki, his partner, surely could have traded blows with Gai; and he had years later. 

And now both Itachi and Kisame were in the village, and Itachi apparently had a form of amnesia, of memory loss. Would he even recall Gai? Kakashi had been rather tight lipped about how much Itachi recalled from his past. Since no one else either knew of Itachi’s return or had been told not to divest details, Gai had been in the dark this entire time. 

“Oh. I apologize I did not know I was intruding.” Gai blinked out of his memories, looking around Kakashi who was seated on the bed beside Gai. Speak of the devil and he shall come. Itachi stood there in the doorway though Gai could barely recognize the man.

Itachi had always been thin and shorter than average, but he had to weigh just over 100 pounds standing in the doorway. His skin was paler than it had always been, and with his hair down and the baggy hospital clothing, he looked like a good wind could knock him over. But what threw Gai off most of all was Itachi’s eyes. Kakashi had spoken about a problem with the, but he had never went into detail. It seemed as though Gai would finally figure out the extent of some of Itachi’s injuries. As Itachi slowly stumbled over, he felt his gut and heart twist rather painfully. 

Of course Itachi had been a danger to the village once upon a time, and of course that was why they still had ANBU following his every move now that he was apparently awake. But…. But there was just no way Itachi could even lift enough weight to cause anyone problems; much less physically injure someone at this point. To see a fierce warrior waylaid by an illness he could not control; even someone as “vicious” as Itachi Uchiha, it just did not sit right with Gai. Itachi deserved a death in battle, something glorious. He did not deserve to waste away from a hidden illness that slowly ate at his body and soul. 

Gai glanced back up at Kakashi and noted the exasperated yet slightly caring look his face had taken. So Kakashi had not spoken the whole truth to Gai. He wondered what was being hidden from him. “Itachi, you know you are not supposed to be walking the halls alone yet. Where is Kisame?” And so Kisame was taking care of Itachi. Interesting to say the least; yet in the back of Gai’s mind, he was happy someone was taking care of this young man, even with the criminal background he touted. Perhaps it was just Gai’s ability to forgive, to see the good in everyone; but he had a sneaking suspicion that Itachi Uchiha was not who he put forwards. There was an underlying aura Itachi held, something calm; like a small creek in the middle of the woods, hidden from view and from battle. 

Itachi was close enough now that Kakashi took the younger man’s hand carefully in his own. That only cemented Gai’s suspicion there was more to this story he was missing. He would ask about it later when he and Kakashi were alone again. “I apologize. I was getting antsy in my bed and wished to get some fresh air.” Itachi answered with a small smile, his eyes closed and those thick black eyelashes resting on the top of his cheeks. “I did not know where Kisame went so I just got up and left. Then I sensed your chakra Captain.” Captain? So he remembered his time in the ANBU. Itachi’s delicately thin face turned to Gai’s form. And he definitely recalled how to sense chakra. 

“I told you to drop the Captain. I don’t command you anymore.” Kakashi whispered in a huff before Itachi spoke. 

“Gai. So you were injured in the… war.” Itachi’s voice was uncertain as he spoke those words but it told Gai he remembered him. 

“Nothing a little rehabilitation cannot fix.” That was a lie but Itachi himself was going through rehab so Gai was not going to add his own plight onto Itachi’s. The black haired male smiled, bigger this time. 

“I had forgotten your enthusiasm for life, it has been such a long time. However I find it immensely refreshing.” And then, like a flower blooming at the first hints of a warm spring, Itachi’s eyes opened. It was slow, as though it were painful for him to do so, but he did it. 

Gai had to hold back an inhale at the sight. Itachi’s eyes, once dark and brooding or blood red from his Sharingan, were grey. It was akin to old snow; ash fallen on the fluffy white substance. His hazy eyes were in Gai’s general direction, not quite seeing Gai’s full visage, but catching onto where he was in the room. “I am glad you are alive Gai. I may not remember everything that has happened in the past, but I know you have brought happiness to those around you. It would have been ill fortuned if we were to have lost you.”

It hit Gai then that Itachi did not remember the massacre. He, at the very least, remembered everything beforehand, and assumedly everything after. What a misfortunate fate; to not know of the crimes one committed against their own flesh and blood. But before he could say anything further, there was someone else at the door. 

Kisame Hoshigaki stood there, looking a little annoyed but happy to see Itachi was with people he knew either would not harm him in this state or would keep him safe if an emergency were to happen in that moment. Kakashi allowed his hand to slip from Itachi’s as Kisame walked forwards, giving a nod to Gai as he turned to Itachi. “There you are Kisame.”

There was something almost lilting in the way Itachi said the older male’s name. He turned only half way to Kisame and the blue skinned male saw Itachi’s eyes were open. “First you run off without telling me and you are opening your eyes. You know Tsunade said you should only be doing that during your physical therapy sessions.” 

Gai watched as Kisame interacted with the currently oldest living Uchiha. He placed one overly large hand at the center of Itachi’s back, giving Gai and Kakashi one more nod before turning the two of them out of the room. 

“So are you going to tell me what you are hiding about him or are you just going to leave me in the dark?” Gai asked now that the two of them were alone again. He watched his sixth Hokage near deflate, pushing every inch of material covering his face so he could rub his hands over his cheeks and press the heels of his palms into his eyes. There had been very few times in Gai’s life he had seen Kakashi so stressed; no not stressed, so exhausted. 

He still thanked whatever was looking after him that Kakashi felt comfortable enough around him to show him his bare face; that and the fact the most beautiful person in the village chose to be around Gai as much as Kakashi was. 

Acting on instinct, Gai reached out and cupped Kakashi’s jaw, brushing his thumb over the mole on Kakashi’s face. The silver haired man looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Come now Kakashi, you know I will not whisper whatever it is to a soul.” And that was the truth. Gai could be boisterous and loud, but when something was bothering those he loved in such a manner, he got down to business; put on his serious face so to speak. 

Kakashi let out a long sigh, pained and tired. Finally he spoke. “I know Gai.” He paused, closing both his eyes and just allowed Gai to touch him. Even after all these years Kakashi never lost that youthful and boyish look, barely a wrinkle on his face. “What I’m about to tell you is not only the story of Itachi, but the story of many Uchiha over.”

~’~

Itachi was extremely ill. It took Tsunade near ten minutes to list everything that was wrong with him; though of course Itachi was a little conflicted about it all. He had not expected to live in the first place, so waking up in the beautiful hospital in Konoha was something he had not been anticipating. Perhaps he would gladly take all the injuries for this second chance at life? He just did not know yet. Either way, he did know he was getting very tired of spending so much time in the hospital. 

Rehab was strenuous and would always put him out like a light after he was finished. It was clear even without Shizune, Tsunade, and Sakura’s constant warnings; Itachi would never fight as shinobi ever again. If he did, it would be well over decades from then and there was no guarantee he would last that long. He managed to cheat death once; he did not think he could pull an encore. 

It was nice to visit Gai when the others were not there. He forgot how uplifting and cheerful the older man was. Itachi could tell Gai was still slightly uncomfortable with Itachi around, but something seemed to have shifted the last time he visited when Kakashi was there with him. Whatever it was, Gai’s chakra was more open; more accepting. 

When Itachi was not spending time with Gai, Kisame would be there. Now the older man was an omnipresent force in Itachi’s life. The Uchiha did not mind. Pretty much the only thing Itachi could remember was Kisame; Kisame and the moments in his life from when he was a child. 

Damn memory loss was giving him headaches. He would strain so hard to remember that it burst a drum rhythm against his head. 

There was one thing that Itachi knew. 

He loved Kisame. He loved Kisame so much it often hurt.

And while there was a little voice in the back of Itachi’s mind that said no, shinobi are not allowed to love; a bigger voice shouted over that. Itachi was no longer a ninja, he could love whomever he pleased. Kisame had become this center point, a pulling gravitational force. The chance Itachi only loved Kisame because he was all he remembered and because of the constant presence Kisame put forth was high. 

But Itachi never claimed to put forth good judgement. It was everyone else that called him a genius. 


End file.
